The Forbidden Woman

For Friday, August 18, 2006
Proverbs 2:16-19

16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

This is the first mention of the "forbidden woman." It is significant that she is described here as one who has forsaken and forgotten. This is not a woman raised outside the faith, but rather one raised as a covenant child, had confessed faith in the Lord, and married in the faith. What a tragic story. What led her astray? We are not told, but she is all the more dangerous for she has tasted the way of life and rejected it. She is all the more set against the righteous life, desirous to lead the righteous astray, and knowledgeable on how to do it with her smooth words. And those who fall into her trap are likely to end up like her, unable to regain the paths of life.

Whether or not the "forbidden woman" who is tempting you has the same history, she does have the same consequences. Therefore avail yourself of God-given wisdom and discretion and stay away! You are not given wisdom to win her over; you are given wisdom to protect yourself. Christian men and women are standing on the edge of adultery, rationalizing that they can keep from falling off. You can't! If you are standing on the edge now, avail yourself of discretion now and back off. Do what you must. Get help from others. Seek the prayer of others.

Proverbs will say this again. Sexual temptation is not a game; it is not a minor temptation; it is a primary weapon of Satan to entrap God's people and render them useless for the kingdom, even to shame God's kingdom. "Her house sinks down to death." Back off now.